In February, a Vermont Christian school’s girls basketball team withdrew from a state tournament because the opposing team had a biological male player.
ABC 13 News reported the story last month:
A girls high school basketball team in Vermont withdrew from a state tournament after refusing to play against another team that had a transgender player on its roster.
The Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) girls basketball team was supposed to play a first-round game against Long Trail School last Tuesday night. But because of its unwillingness to suit up against a team with a biologically male player, the school forfeited, and thus had to withdrawal from the year-end tournament.
“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” MVCS Head of School Vicky Fogg told The National Desk in a statement. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
The outlet said there is no law in Vermont prohibiting transgender female students from participating on girls sports teams.
VTDigger noted:
Many of these bills are continuations of anti-transgender legislation from 2021, according to a USA Today article on nationwide anti-transgender legislation, where there were “roughly 80 proposals in 2021, for instance, aimed at preventing transgender youth from playing in school sports consistent with the gender identity of their choice.”
No such bills have been introduced in Vermont, where the Vermont Principals’ Association — the governing body for school sports — says students can play on the team that matches the gender for which they are enrolled at a school.
The fallout from the team’s decision to forfeit the game continued this week and it has impacted sports at the entire school.
Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) has been banned from participating in sporting events moving forward.
The ban, which is effective immediately, impacts basketball, golf, volleyball, cross country, and track & field.
Vermont Christian School Banned from Future Sporting Events After Forfeiting Girl’s Basketball Game Against Team with Trans Player. (A DUDE)
Are there any women who are gonna fight this battle? Jesus!
— TheTexasOne (@TexasRepublic71) March 14, 2023
The fallout continues after Mid Vermont Christian School’s decision to withdraw their girls basketball team from the Division IV state tournament over refusal to play a transgender opponent. https://t.co/lVTqkVStwH
— Bennington Banner (@banner_news) March 13, 2023
Bennington Banner reports:
The fallout continues after Mid Vermont Christian School’s decision to withdraw their girls basketball team from the Division IV state tournament over refusal to play a transgender opponent.
The Vermont Principals Association issued a letter to MVCS on Monday afternoon stating that the private school in Hartford is now ineligible to participate in VPA-sanctioned activities, effective immediately, owing to the forfeit of its first-round matchup against Long Trail School, who has a transgender player on its roster.
cont.
The VPA’s letter cites that published statement from Fogg in the justification of their decision to remove MVCS, saying that their position violates VPA policies and Vermont state law.
“Specifically, the school’s actions do not meet the expectations of the VPA’s 1st and 2nd policy, Commitment to Racial, Gender-Fair, and Disability Awareness and Policy of Gender Identity, respectively,” the letter states.
Fox News added:
“The VPA again reiterates its ongoing support of transgender student-athletes as not only a part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, but also as a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student athletes,” the governing body said in a statement.
Officials said the White River Junction-based school failed to meet the association’s policies on race, gender and disability awareness.
“Mid Vermont Christian school is disappointed with the decision of the VPA Executive Council to ban us from participation in all VPA activities,” Head of School Vicky Fogg said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We intend to appeal the decision. Cancelling our membership is not a solution and does nothing to deal with the very real issue of safety and fairness facing women’s sports in our beloved state. We urge the VPA to reconsider its policies, and balance the rights of every athlete in the state.”
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